Screw Ups and Sweet Sixteens
by Hugs-n-Symmetry
Summary: The story of how I, Kaoru Hitachiin, screwed everything up. /KaoruxOC, slight HikaruxOC./ /Reuploaded due to new beginning./
1. Foreword

**FOREWORD**

The night was young, the party would begin soon, and so far everything was going according to plan.

I stood out front, in the schoolyard, on the cobblestone pathway leading up to the school's doors. "Are you sure about this?" I asked cautiously, watching the students file into the school. They were all dressed casually, and it was quite a change from seeing them all in their uniforms. I didn't think the Host Club had ever had an event quite like this before.

"Of course I am! You can't be getting cold feet now, Kaoru?" Hikaru clapped me on the back confidently—I flinched, though if it was from his blow or nerves, I couldn't quite determine.

"No, no. Of course not."

Sakura ran up, and linked her arm around Hikaru's. "You ready to go, sweetthing?"

"Yeah, come on." He started to turn towards the school's doors. Sakura followed, flipping her white-blonde ringlets over her shoulder and giggling.

"Wait," I said. Hikaru looked over his shoulder at me expectantly. "What if something goes wrong?"

Hikaru laughed. "Trust me. Everything will be fine."

"You sure?"

"_Just _fine. Come on."

* * *

**Something I feel needs clearing up.**

**This is a reupload of the same story I had up before, under the same name. I had to reupload it, because I wanted to change the beginning, to make things more interesting. I'm sorry for an inconvenience you feel there was due to the deletion of the previous form of this story. But thank you for going out of your way to read the new and improved version!**

**The rest of the story from now on should be as planned from before.**


	2. Chapter One: Kaoru

**Kaoru.**

Hikaru stood with his hands in his pockets, looking at me with that all-too-familiar smug expression on his face. It was the first time we had ever had this discussion. However, he was aloof and carefree as always, as if he had been in this situation a million times before. It absolutely boiled my blood.

"Don't look at me like that, I'm serious," I cried, clenching my fists and waving them about furiously. Hikaru let out a mirthless chuckle; my frustration was not getting through to him. "I want to change it," I ordered, stomping my foot.

Hikaru promptly stopped laughing and gently placed his hand on my shoulder. "Why, brother? Why now?"

"Because—" I racked my brain for a way to word my request, "—our whole lives we've been playing the 'Which One Is Hikaru' game. I think we should switch it up for once and play the 'Which One Is Kaoru' game."

A thoughtful look passed over his face for a moment, and I thought he might be considering it. But, to my dismay, he turned away, dismissing my plea with a simple wave of his hand. "Preposterous. If it's worked so well all this time, why change it now?"

Grumbling to myself, I returned to the dining table where I had previously been eating breakfast. Hikaru and I had always been two of a kind—twins so close we seemed to know each others' every thought. Things had been changing lately, though. Haruhi had helped us see that we were our own persons. Since then, Hikaru and I had began talking differently, acting differently, and thinking differently. To be honest I couldn't see why we even played the Which One Is Hikaru game anymore. It was getting easier and easier to guess.

The front door to the manor opened and shut, and footsteps echoed throughout the large, grand room. Without looking up, I heard my father's voice. "Hikaru, Kaoru, I need you to do me a job."

Hikaru and I nodded simultaneously.

"It has come to my attention that there is a student at Ouran Academy who is the child of the head of the largest automotive business in the country. I heard a rumor that this business is looking to purchase a number of sites to construct a line of new buildings across the country." Our father was a landowner; you could say he owned more land across Japan than the government did.

"What are you getting at, father?" Hikaru asked, getting impatient.

"That's where you two come in," father continued, ignoring Hikaru's interruption. "The student's name is Sora Kimura. I want you to befriend this student, make sure he feels welcome, invite him to your little Host Club—whatever you have to do. Show him the Hitachiin name is worthy to make business with in every sense of the matter. This is very important business to your daddy so don't screw it up." He nodded once to us. "Have a good afternoon, my sons."

After he left, Hikaru laughed. "Piece of cake."

Annoyed, I turned to him. "Hikaru, if you mess this up and he pins it on both of us, I can promise you I will personally -"

"Relax, Kaoru," he said gently, although I detected a hint of irony in his tone. "I promise I will make this easy for both of us." He smirked. "Easy and quick."

I sighed, grabbing my schoolbag and standing up. As clever as Hikaru was, his plans went a little haywire sometimes. "Do whatever you have to do, but keep me out of it."

See, my name is Kaoru Hitachiin, and Hikaru is my twin brother, which you probably have already gathered. Put the two of us together and things will get interesting. Hikaru may be irresponsible and mischievous at times but don't get me wrong, he's the best brother a guy could ask for. I know that sounds incredibly cliche and now you're thinking "oh, everyone says that" but in this case it really is true. In dangerous situations he always thinks of me first, before himself. He's overprotective but I'm glad for it, because if he wasn't, who knows what kind of trouble I'd get myself into. He cares about me more than he cares for himself, I'm not sure if this comes from him being two minutes older or just from his dominant personality, but either way it's nice. Nice to know that he has my back no matter what.

Well except for today, the day he chooses to be especially irritating.

The two of us attend Ouran Academy, a private school for high school students who are scholarly excellent or whose parents have unending wealth and good social standing. Basically, only the richest and most powerful attend school at Ouran Academy, with the exceptions of a few genius commoners, of course. Hikaru and I were involved in something called the Ouran Host Club, a club where young men with to much time on their hands entertain young women who also have way too much time on their hands. That's pretty much where we spend all our free time, and that's what our father wants us to get this Sora kid involved in.

We stepped out of the limo and onto the pavement of the grand Ouran Academy. "Another day's adventures ahead of us," Hikaru said optimistically, and started towards the doors. I had to run to keep up with him. In the lobby next to the doors was the bulletin board, and I walked past it just like any other day, only today something caught my eye. I stopped in my tracks and backtracked, back to the bulletin board.

There was a flyer that said, "Having trouble in school? Need help with your studies? Sign up here for Sora Kimura's tutoring services!" _Ah, so the name is what caught my eye._ There were a number of open slots for appointments on 4:00 every day in the library. _So you just sign your name and show up at the library, then? It's that easy?_

Hikaru appeared next to me, stroking his chin thoughtfully. "Sign us up," he said finally, taking the pen hanging from the bulletin board and signing "Hikaru & Kaoru Hitachiin" in elegant Japanese calligraphy.

I gasped, horrified. "Hikaru, I don't need help with my homework! You might, but I'm doing very fine in my studies, thank you very much."

Hikaru chuckled to himself playfully. Frankly, I didn't quite understand what was so funny. "Silly, naive Kaoru," he teased, ruffling my strawberry-blonde hair. "Didn't you see the name on the flyer? This is our chance to reel this guy in!"

"I hope you realize we can't just recruit anyone we want to the Host Club, we still need Tamaki's -" I stopped short, my eyes widening. "And I thought I told you to leave me out of your little schemes!"

"Face it, brother," he replied, slinging his arm around my shoulders, "We're twins, double trouble. Any schemes I have, you're going to get dragged into anyways."

I rolled my eyes and chuckled to myself as he proceeded to pull me down the hallway, rambling on about something irrelevant.

Class 1A was dull as usual, until we showed up and graced everyone with our lively presence. Haruhi seemed a little under-the-weather so of course Hikaru was trying his hardest to amuse her.

"C'mon Haruhi, turn that frown upside-down!" Hikaru reassured her energetically. She remained stony-faced, as though Hikaru's attempts were no more than everyday conversation.

"What's wrong, Haruhi?" I asked, genuinely concerned.

"It's Tamaki-senpai..." she murmured, her eyes glazing over. Hikaru and I exchanged a glance.

"Er, what exactly about Tamaki-senpai?"

"He's..." she paused to shudder, "Forcing me to take piano lessons." Haruhi wilted, horrified.

"Forcing you?" Hikaru scoffed. "I'm sure you're exaggerating, he can't force you -"

He was cut off by the door swinging open and none other than Tamaki himself bursting into classroom 1A. The three of us reeled back in shock as he stood before us with his fists clenched and his teeth gritted, catching his breath. "What were you troublesome twins doing to my Haruhi?" Tamaki cried, grabbing Haruhi swiftly and yanking her towards him. Hikaru and I both sweatdropped, embarrassed.

"Senpai, you can't just barge in here in the middle of our class -" Haruhi started cynically, but Tamaki pressed his finger against her lips.

Suddenly he was surrounded by roses as he cooed, "Hush darling Haruhi, don't ruin my overprotective fatherly moment."

"Senpai, you're not really my father -"

Horrified, Tamaki shattered. "Not your father?" he cried in agony, writhing on the ground. "WhatdoyoumeanHaruhiofcourseI'myourfatherdon'tbesillydarlinggirl -"

"If you were my father that would be weird."

He stopped squirming abruptly. "That would be weird," he squeaked, echoing her.

"Tamaki-senpai, don't you have to teach Haruhi piano?" Hikaru asked, visibly getting irritated. Tamaki's face seemed to brighten as he remembered.

"You're absolutely right!" he quickly recovered from his fit and took Haruhi by the hand, yanking her out of the room.

"But...it's the middle of class!" Haruhi said as she disappeared down the hallway.

"Isn't that just like him?" I said, turning to Hikaru.

"Incredibly," Hikaru replied grudgingly, looking away to avoid my gaze. I frowned. Silently, I wondered if seeing Haruhi so happy with Tamaki-senpai lately had made Hikaru finally realize his feelings. _No, not yet,_ I decided as I watched Hikaru return to his schoolwork. _Not entirely._

Class ended, and without a word to each other we stated on our daily trip to music room #3. Tamaki and Haruhi were there, still using the piano, although Haruhi seemed close to bashing her head against the keys. Kyoya-senpai was there too, busying himself with some business on his laptop. He pushed his glasses farther up his nose and noded to us knowledgeably as we came in the room. However, Honey-senpai and Mori-senpai had yet to arrive.

"Are we going to get started on today's meeting?" Hikaru asked arrogantly, settling himself delicately in the wood and red felt couch in the center of the room. "Kaoru and I have somewhere to be at 4."

"Ooh, got a hot date?" Honey-senpai chirped, marching through the doors with Mori-senpai trailing behind him loyally. Hikaru chuckled to himself, resting his cheek on the palm of his hand.

"Yes, a hot date with a tutor in the library," I replied sarcastically.

"A tutor?" Haruhi perked up and peered at us around the piano. "Since when do you two need a tutor?"

"Since when do you need piano lessons?" Hikaru shot back. Tamaki stiffened. "Anyway," Hikaru continued, "It's just business for daddy."

Haruhi looked puzzled. "I...don't understand."

Kyoya spoke up from his spot at the table near the window. "They're bringing in business for their father's company. Obviously if the tutor is the child of someone Mr. Hitachiin is financially interested in, it is the twins' responsibility to get in good standing with this student in order to influence the business their father may be possibly gaining with the said company." His glasses reflected the light intimidatingly as he pushed them up the bridge of his nose once more. It was a gesture that made him seem all the more discerning. "The games of the rich and powerful, I suppose." Haruhi flinched.

"Well, boys," Tamaki said, standing up and stretching his folded arms high above his blonde head, yawning as he did so. "The Host Club meeting for the day of Monday, March 4th at approximately 3:30 pm is officially in session." We had recently begun taking records of our daily meetings - Kyoya-senpai of course did this on his laptop.

"Bout time," Hikaru grumbled. Tamaki sent him his best death glare.

"This Friday for our guests," he continued, "We are going to dress up as soldiers heading to war. I of course will be the general. Kyoya, you may be a sergeant. Honey, be cutesy, Mori, be valiant. Throw in something where you 'save' little oblivious Honey from death. Hikaru and Kaoru, wounded brother routine, you know what to do. Ah, and Haruhi, you will play the nurse."

Haruhi stiffened. "Uh - the nuse?" Her eyes widened. "But -"

"Does that mean it's official now?" Honey asked innocently. "Haru-chan is coming out to the entire academy as a girl?"

Tamaki chuckled. "Of course not. Just because she's playing the part of a nurse has nothing to do with her gender."

"You just want to see her in a nurse's costume," Hikaru accused matter-of-factly.

Tamaki froze, mortified, and protested, "Do not!"

Playfully, Hikaru and I chanted, "Tamaki's a pervert, Tamaki's a pervert!"

Haruhi inched away from him as he slammed his head against the piano keys, holding hs hands over his ears to block out our taunts.

"I've got a better idea," Honey announced. "What if she played a girl who disguised herself as a boy in order to get into the army? Like in Mulan!"

"That doesn't happen anymore, they allow girls into the army," Kyoya corrected. Sadly, Honey deflated.

"But Honey's on to something, though," Haruhi interjected. "What if i disguised myself as a boy because I didn't want any _egotistical men_ treating me like a weak woman?" Her eyes slid in Tamaki's direction, who upon meeting her gaze shattered again.

"That could work," Kyoya admitted thoughtfully.

"Yeah, do it Haru-chan!" Honey cheered. "Yay for women!"

Haruhi laughed as Honey threw his arms around her neck.

* * *

**My first OHSHC fanfiction! Chapter two is on the way my lovelies.(;**

**Review with your wonderful, wonderful opinions!**


	3. Chapter Two: Kaoru

**Kaoru.**

The library was packed, as usual.

The dull murmur of the chit-chat from other students rang in my ears. Hikaru sighed, rubbing his temples with his thumb and forefinger. "Now I remember why I never go in here."

"Well, you signed us up for this so you'd better go through with it," I reminded him firmly. "We can't just not show up, that would be a waste of the tutor's time."

"This Sora guy spends his free time tutoring other students. I'm pretty sure his free time is wasted anyway."

"Stop whining and help me look for him, you idiot."

Hikaru stepped towards a blonde girl passing by. I was about to scold him for flirting when he asked her instead, "Do you know who Sora Kimura is?"

"Yeah," she replied simply, chomping away on her bubblegum. She blew a large bubble and popped it. I was unsure why she was even in the library in the first place. She didn't seem to me like a very bright girl.

"Great, can you point him out to us?"

She flung her finger lazily in the direction of an almost empty table, where one lone girl was sitting with her nose in a book.

A girl? Our tutor, this infamous Sora Kimura, was a girl? _Well_, I thought, _there goes any chance of getting Hikaru to focus._

Obviously, Hikaru didn't catch on as fast as I did. "But...that's a girl," he observed, giving blondie a puzzled look. She rolled her eyes.

"Yep, sure is." She flipped her hair over her shoulder and turned away haughtily. Hikaru stuck his tongue out at her back.

"Why didn't anyone mention this Sora person was a girl?" Hikaru murmured in my direction. "Not to mention a _hot_ girl."

I rolled my eyes and approached the table where Sora was sitting. Hikaru hurried after me after he realized I was gone. I cleared my throat, standing in front of Sora, my hand resting on the chair across from her. She looked up from her book almost hesitantly as if she didn't want to stop reading, but when her eyes landed on Hikaru and I, her cheeks tinted the slightest shade of pink and she seemed to forget about her book altogether.

"Oh—I'm sorry—I was…" She sighed and restarted. "You two must be the Hitachiin twins?"

"Why yes, we are," Hikaru answered right away, pulling out his chair and swiftly sitting down. I did the same, and Hikaru smoothly added, "However did you know?"

There was a moment's silence. "You signed your names on the application," she answered, rifling through her papers and sliding the signup sheet we had signed across the table to us. "Duh," she added awkwardly.

From my first evaluation of this girl, I concluded that she was very awkward indeed. I watched as she rummaged through the papers in front of her, spilling them all across the table. She was visibly flustered, as the shade of pink on her cheeks deepened. "So which of you is which?" she asked, finally sifting out two sheets of paper from all the rest.

"Can you guess?"

My heart sank, getting ready for him to ask her to play the Which One Is Hikaru game.

"Guess?" she repeated, not quite grasping the concept of what Hikaru was implying. She moved her gaze down to the two separate sheets of paper she held in her hands. "Which one of you is…" she looked from one to the other, "Kaoru?"

My sunken heart leapt. Had she really just…? Did that just happen?

"Which one of us is Hikaru," Hikaru corrected, and I sensed irritation in his tone. She narrowed her eyes.

"You must be Hikaru," she concluded, passing his paper towards him. He bristled; daunted that he had made it so simple for her. I could tell he was mentally kicking himself.

"And _you_ must be Kaoru," she added, taking up a more pleasant tone as she passed my own paper towards me. I was still shocked into silence, and scanned over my paper wordlessly. It basically summed up how I was doing in school and what subjects I needed to work on during the tutoring sessions. There wasn't much there that needed improvement.

"How did you get these records of our schoolwork?" Hikaru asked, setting his paper back on the table gently. He placed his elbow upon the table next to it and propped his head up in his palm, looking at Sora expectantly.

"From the vice chairman, of course," she replied nonchalantly, waving the question off. "She gives me the records for all my clients. Anyway, I couldn't help but notice that you two weren't exactly in need of much help? Why exactly did you sign up for my services?"

"Um—well," I stammered, trying to come up with an excuse on the fly that would sell easily. I glanced feverishly down at the paper in front of me. "I have a B in Language Arts…and if I don't get a 4.0 this year then it will be impossible for me to graduate with a 4.0, of course. So…I was wondering if you could help me bring my B up to an A."

She nodded, smiling brightly. "Of course! And what about you, Hikaru?"

"I need help in Chemistry," he said gruffly, and I wondered if he was still offended from the game.

"No problem." She began re-organizing her papers so that they would all fit in one stack again. "Do you want me to work with you both in the same session, or separately?"

I looked towards Hikaru, expecting him to jump up and say separately, in order to give him alone time with Sora, but to my astonishment he just sat there and shrugged. I realized he must have lost his interest in this girl after her attitude towards him was so disinterested.

"What do you think is best?" I asked doubtfully, after Hikaru made no simplifications on what he preferred.

Sora looked like she was thinking for a moment, then finally said, "Well, since you're both working on different subjects, I would say separately. But it ultimately depends on what you say."

"Separately's fine," I agreed, although I was thinking differently because I didn't want the both of us projecting different plans at the same time that would interfere with another. I would have to talk it over with him later, to figure something out between the both of us.

"Great! So, should we get started or do you think we're done for the day? Should we save it for your separate sessions?"

"Save it," Hikaru said, standing up. "We have to get headed home."

"Yeah," I agreed, suddenly remembering. "We do. Thank you for your time." I stood up as well and bowed to her, and she stood up as well, holding out her hand in a "stop" gesture.

"Wait," she said quickly, and pulled something out of her stack of papers. "If you have any questions, call me." As I took the tiny slip of paper she handed me, I nodded, thanked her again, then turned and hurried to catch up with Hikaru who was already striding across the library towards the doors.

"Why the attitude?" I asked, catching my breath as I fell into step beside him. The hallways were almost empty at this point in the day, and we had no problem getting quickly out to our limo that had been waiting for us.

"Attitude? I have no idea what you're getting at."

I sighed, realizing I was going to have to be a little more gentle. "You just don't seem happy, that's all."

Hikaru was silent. He seemed to be deep in thought, so I figured I wouldn't interrupt him anymore. I pulled out the slip of paper she had handed me before I left and stared at it. Her phone number was written in chicken scratch, and it took me a while to figure out one of the numbers before I was able to input the number into my phone. She had said if I had any questions to call her...I wonder what exactly she considered a _question_.

oOoOo

Later that night, I was flipping carelessly through a magazine when Hikaru wordlessly entered my room. Of course, I wasn't exactly paying attention to the magazine, things like that aren't exactly my style. However, when you're a spoiled rich kid with no chores, no job, and a lot of free time, you find yourself doing a lot of odd things just to pass the time.

Hikaru, dressed in his pajamas, sat down gently at the end of my bed. I threw off the covers, tossed the magazine aside, and joined him, sitting myself gently by his side.

"I told father about our progress," he said quietly. I nodded, showing him I understood. "I'm sorry I acted like such a brat earlier today," he added sheepishly as a faint blush spread over his cheeks. "It was uncalled for."

"Hikaru, it's alright," I reassured him. I hugged him tightly. "Honestly, Sora acted kind of bitter towards you as well, so I don't blame you..."

In my heart, I was truly grateful for his apology. We hadn't been having many brotherly moments like this in a while, and it was nice to feel as close again as we had been before. As I hugged him, I wondered who I had become, and who he had become. There was a point when my brother and I were so strikingly alike that we were almost the same person. But now we were setting off on our own directions, and this was strange, unmarked territory. Was I finding myself, as cliche as that may sound? I had never thought much about self-identity and things like that before, and it was like a whole new world was being opened up for me and myself alone to see.

Hikaru sighed as we pulled away. "It's just, I get so..."

I shook my head, and cut off his protest, reassuring him once again, and reassuring myself as well, that it was okay, that I could survive on my own. I could be my own person, I didn't have to depend on this "other half" of me that now seemed to be disappearing. I could let go, of the past me, and things would still be fine. I reassured my brother and myself again.

"Hikaru, please. Its alright."

* * *

**Thanks to all my readers and reviewers! Chapter three should be coming soon.(;**


	4. Chapter Three: Kaoru

**Kaoru.**

The next day I was going to have my first solo session with Sora.

"Well, what do we do now?"

Hikaru stopped what he was doing to look at me. "What?"

It was after school and we were sitting in the Host Club so that we could figure things out alone before my session at four.

"You know." I tapped my fingers on the armrest of my wooden chair. "Now that Sora is a girl?"

"I'm sorry, I don't think I understand…"

I sighed, standing up suddenly—so fast my wooden chair nearly toppled beneath me, but I paid no mind to it. "Father told us to get Sora involved in the Host Club in order to spend more time with _him._" I began pacing about the host room, deep in thought._ "_However, father must not have known that Sora was a girl. But host club isn't for girls—"

"Now hold on, Kaoru." He stopped me in my tracks, pushing his chair out in front of me. "That's not necessarily true."

Shocked, I quickly regained my balance. "Wha…?"

"Sora could join the host club," Hikaru suggested hastily, feeling that he was on to something.

"Why would she do that? How would we get her to dress up like a boy, like Haruhi?"

Hikaru laughed. "No, stupid. Haven't you ever wondered why it's only _boys _in the host club? We strive to make _women _happy - however, that only accounts for half of the students here, the other half being the _boys _that we unknowingly steal the women from. Now, do you think that makes the boys very happy?"

I shook my head, speechless, still oblivious to what he was getting at.

"So how do you think we could make those crotchety males happy again?"

"We give them their women back..." I replied slowly, finally starting to catch on.

"Exactly!" Hikaru threw his arm around my shoulders and embraced me tightly. "That's my boy! Cut from the same cloth, indeed."

I struggled to get air as I pushed out of his embrace. "So you're saying we get Sora to join the Host Club, in order to bring in boys?" Not only was I doubtful that the idea would sell to Tamaki, I was also a little wary about dozens of boys hitting on Sora. Not that I was jealous, don't get me wrong, I just...didn't think she could handle that - she didn't seem like that kinda girl. Of course I didn't tell Hikaru that. "How do you expect to get the rest of the club on this bandwagon?"

"Simple, really." Hikaru released his tight hold on my neck and aloofly waved my question off. "All Kyoya's really out for is the cash, right? So by bringing in male customers, the Host Club receives more money. So, the boys of Ouran are happy, Kyoya's happy, everybody's happy! And we all know how Kyoya ultimately makes the decisions of the club, based on his power to convince Tamaki of anything he wants. And everybody else goes along with it, right?" He looked at me, grinning like he was some sort of mastermind. "So, bada bing, bada boom, Sora is a host, and we fulfill our father's wishes. What do you think, my dear brother?"

"I think you need mental help," I deadpanned. "Besides, how will we know Sora will want to join the Host Club as a female, anyway? She's a human being, Hikaru, remember that. We can't just make these choices for her - she has to _want _to."

"Ah, ah, ah," Hikaru said playfully, waving a finger in my face. "Do not doubt my well-thought elaborate schemes. Of course, sweet naive Kaoru, you and I are going to seduce the girl."

I froze, mortified. "Hikaru, you sick -"

"Yes, we'll put the moves on her! And simple as that, she'll want to spend more time with us. So we ask her to join the Host Club. Now do you understand that I'm an intellectual genius?"

"I understand that you're an unbelievable dumbass."

Hikaru gasped, feigning offense. "Do you not approve of my devious plan, then? Fine, come up with your own! See if I'm any help to you." He huffed, taking his seat, and resumed his frivolous internet shopping. I took my seat next to him and laid my head upon my folded arms on the table.

"We could trick her into it," I offered, although I wasn't completely up for that idea either. Hikaru, however, perked up.

"Yes, that is our strong suit, after all."

The sadistic expression on his face made me instantly change my mind. "No," I deadpanned, "No tricks."

Even though I had said that, I couldn't be completely sure that he wasn't going to pull something behind my back. Knowing Hikaru, he most likely would.

"You're no fun," Hikaru whined, pushing out his chair and standing dramatically. "If you're not going to help me with a plan, I'll just put my own into action."

"No, you can't, Hika - !" I stood up so fast my chair toppled beneath me, and I tumbled backwards. Stars clouded my vision and I heard Hikaru's loud laughter before he left the room.

It was almost four. I groaned, realizing Hikaru was probably on his way to trick her right now, so that he could get to her before my session started.

In other words, I was screwed.

oOoOo

You never really realize how crowded the Ouran halls can get until you're in a life-threatening hurry.

Okay, maybe not life-threatening. But something like that.

It was 3:56 by the time I arrived at the library, bursting through the doors. I nearly flattened some girl that had the poor luck to be standing in the doorway at that time. I apologized haphazardly and scanned the library for any sign of the boy who was uncannily identical to me. No sign of him whatsoever. Great, that was good news. But what wasn't such great news was the sight of Sora, sitting all alone, with her nose buried in her book, paying no attention whatsoever to her surroundings. Like some sort of prey about to be stalked by a predator. AKA Hikaru.

Upon seeing her so vulnerable, I marched towards her table at top speed, slamming my palms on the tabletop.

She made a startled noise. "Yes, Kaoru?"

"I, um - " I realized I hadn't thought this through at all, and felt the heat rise to my face. "I was so excited to get started, I came early. Four minutes early."

A smile pulled at the corners of her mouth. "Oh, I uh...see."

It was silent for a moment, and she cleared her throat. "Take a seat." She gestured to the chair across from her. Awkwardly, I did as was told, and sat. I couldn't keep my mind off of Hikaru. At any second he would come bursting through the doors. Or climbing through the window..._or_ falling through the ceiling.

Sora, however, was taking a painstakingly long ass time finding my paper.

"I have mine from yesterday," I said hastily, digging through my pockets. Finally I found it and pulled it out, unfolding it quickly and smoothing it out. It was slightly crinkled and stained because I'm afraid I'm not very dependable in terms of keeping things looking nice.

"Great," she said, although her tone of voice told me she felt otherwise. My embarrassment was short-lived though, cut off by the dings of my cell phone chiming in my pocket. I fished it out and flipped it open, and my expression darkened upon reading the text I had just recieved from none other than Hikaru.

_"On my way to her right now.(;"_ the text message read. Horrified, I slammed my phone shut and turned back to Sora, who appeared to be searching through the first year Language Arts textbook for something to start my lesson with. I had to get her out of here before _he_ arrived. I drummed my fingers on the tabletop, not sure what to do, and fearing that my nerves were getting the best of me.

_Say something, _a voice in the back of my head hissed. "Um - I - "

_Something smart, dumbass._

Ouch.

"It's really loud in here, isn't it?" I blurted, before I even knew what was coming out of my mouth. I almost facepalmed afterwards. Welp, looks like the voice in the back of my head had a better plan than I did.

I saw that "almost-smile" on her face again. "Always is," she replied, without even looking up from the textbook.

I tugged at my shirt collar nervously. "W - what do you say we...go somewhere quieter?"

She looked up at me from under her dark lashes, meeting my gaze. "If this is your attempt to get me alone and bust a move, it's pathetic."

Not knowing what else to do, I burst out laughing. "That's Hikaru, not me."

Lifting her attention from her textbook, she studied me. "So you two really _aren't _exactly alike, inside and out?"

"Not exactly." Remembering the conflict at present, my stomach knotted. "But we really should go somewhere else unless you _want _Hikaru 'busting a move' on you..."

"That sounds horrid." She brisquely stood up, and began to gather her books and papers up in her arms. I joined her, grabbing as much as I could, then led the way out of the library. We made it down the hallway and around the corner when my phone blew up in my pocket again. I dropped a pile of junk in my attempt to get to it quickly.

_"She's not at the library. Did you get to her first? I'll find you!"_ I rolled my eyes at Hikaru's text message before stuffing my phone back in my pocket and stooping down to scoop up the things that I dropped.

"Here," Sora offered, holding her opened bag in my direction.

"Gee, that would have been helpful earlier." I dumped my pile into her bag graciously.

"We were in a hurry," she quipped, slinging her bag back over her shoulder.

"We still are." Without thinking, I grabbed her arm and dashed down the hallway. She sprinted to keep up with me, otherwise she would have been dragged. _Where to go, where to go? _the voice in the back of my head demanded. My feet took me wherever this ominous voice told them to go. We flew through the corridors of Ouran Academy, like outlaws on the run. Round one corner, round another, until finally, we came to our destination.

We screeched to a stop in front of Music Room #3.

* * *

**This was definitely my favorite chapter to write so far.**

**Thanks for the reads and the reviews everyone, please keep it up, it makes my day! -sends hearts-**


	5. Chapter Four: Sora

**Sora.**

When Kaoru opened the door to Music Room #3, bright light showered upon us, and rose petals flew through the air. I shot Kaoru a look.

"I thought you said you weren't going to try and hit on me."

He scoffed. "I'm not! Just come on." He tightened his grip on my arm and pulled me inside the room. It was large, larger than you would have expected, and there were various wooden tables and chairs scattered throughout the room. There was also one long wooden couch with red cushions located in the center of the room, in front of a wooden table. The marble floors and walls were a light, pleasant shade of pink, and one wall in fact was all window. It gave a beautiful view of the schoolyard and campus down below.

"Wh...what is this?" I breathed, sounding a lot more dazzled than I intended to. I noticed that at many of the chairs and tables scattered throughout the room, there sat various girls that were for the most part all crowded around a few particular guys.

"Welcome to the Host Club," Kaoru said finally, gently pushing me farther into the room, his hand placed lightly on the small of my back. I turned sharply to face him, and met his questioning gaze.

"What is this?" I demanded, firmer this time. Kaoru, after the shock of my outburst, regained his composure and laughed nervously, one arm folded behind his head.

"Like I said, it's the Host Club," he repeated feebly. "The place at Ouran where young good-looking boys with too much time on their hands entertain young girls who also have too much time on their hands. Blah blah blah, we all know the basics." One hand resting on his hip, he waved the other hand dismissively, while shaking his head back and forth. I would have laughed at his carefree demeanor if I wasn't so furious at him.

"And you _brought_ me here? Why in your right mind – wait, don't tell me you _participate_ in this crap?"

"Uh, yeah -"

I brought my hand to my forehead in a gesture of shame. "My respect for you just went out the window."

"Why, hello there." I jumped at the silky-smooth voice suddenly coming from behind me, and I found myself afraid to turn around. "Is this a new young lady I see?" Much to my horror, I felt a hand on my waist, and someone spun me around. I found myself uncomfortably close to a handsome, blonde boy with the bluest eyes I have seen on any human being. Despite how good-looking he was, the close proximity between us was _not_ pleasant.

My horror deepend as blondie took my left hand and brought it slowly to his lips. "What's your name, Princess?" he cooed. Never having found any reason to use self-defense before, I wasn't exactly sure what to do in this situation, so I did the first thing I could think of.

"GET OFF ME, YOU PERV!" I wailed, clenched my fist, and blasted him in the face.

Blondie let out a loud, dramatic gasp, reeling backwards while holding his face in shock. "Mommy!" he howled, "This girl, this horrid girl! She hit meeee!"

Almost out of nowhere, a tall, also attractive boy with glasses and dark hair appeared, placing his hand on Blondie's shoulder to steady him. "Maybe daddy shouldn't have been so grabby then," Tall, Dark, and Handsome said smoothly. It was hard to tell his expression, but I couldn't decide if that was because his glasses hid his eyes so well, or because that's just how he was - perpetually bored.

"Sorry, boss," Kaoru said to Blondie, between his stifled laughter. "We just came here to work on tutoring since it's loud in the library. She's not a customer." Blondie wilted from mortification.

"Wait. So this guy" - I pointed to the hot blonde mess on the floor - "is YOUR boss?" I threw my hands up in exasperation. "Just when I thought I'd lost all hope for you whatsoever."

"Takashi, look!" A young boy's high, excited voice met my ears. "What a pretty girl!" I looked in the direction of the voice and saw a little boy who didn't look like he could be any older than ten. He was running right in my direction, a bright smile plastered across his face, big brown eyes shining. Following him was a tall, muscular, dark-haired boy.

The younger boy tugged my sleeve. "What's your name, pretty girl?"

This boy was adorable, but he did work for such a disgustingly sexist operation. "Sora," I replied. "What's yours, cutie?"

The boy giggled. "Honey! I'm seventeen."

I froze, trying to process this information in my mind. The pieces did not fit together. I stared at him, mouth agape, trying to conjure words. He giggled again.

Blondie suddenly regained his composure. "So your name is Sora, eh? My name is Tamaki Suou. Sora is such a pretty name, to match your beautiful sky blue eyes."

"PERVERT! DON'T TOUCH ME!" I cried, covering my face and turning away. Tamaki shattered, making a pathetic squeaky noise, then swooned dramatically. The tall, muscular boy, Honey's tagalong, caught him as he fell.

By this time, the girls all began to crowd around. "Honey, why'd you leave me all alone?" a familiar voice cooed. I bristled, and turned around slowly. I saw a girl with long, blonde hair - bleached so much it was almost white - that fell in perfect ringlets. There was only one person I knew with hair like that.

"Sora-kun!" my best friend screeched, glomping me.

I gasped for air. "Sakura?" I managed, bewildered. Sakura giggled with delight.

"What are you doing here, Sora-kun?" she squealed, loosening her deathgrip on me.

"I should be asking you the same thing."

"I always come here after school, silly!" Sakura shook her head at me in mock shame.

"So that's why we never hang out on weekdays..." I grumbled to myself.

"Well? Have you met everyone?" she pressed.

"Sort of..."

She grabbed me by the crook of my elbow, her manicured nails grazing my skin. She stopped in front of Tamaki.

"This is Tamaki-senpai," she informed me. "He's the King."

"We've already met," I grumbled, refusing to make eye contact with the "king."

Tamaki took my right hand with both of his, and I couldn't help but notice they were incredibly smooth...for a guy's. "You have the most beautiful raven hair," he murmured. It took everything within me to hold myself back from blasting him in the face again, right then and there.

"Moving on," Sakura sang loudly, pulling me towards the glasses character. "This is Kyoya. He's the brains behind the operation."

Kyoya nodded once to me. "Nice to meet you, Sora Kimura, first year. Second in your class, hmm? And a popular tutor within the first years. Interesting."

"How does he know all that?" I whispered feverishly to Sakura.

"He just does. Don't question it."

I moved my gaze back to Kyoya, who was smiling at me. It wasn't a sincere smile. But I smiled nervously back.

Sakura moved me further into the circle. "This is Haruhi," she informed me, gesturing to a short, brunette boy with a quiet, polite nature and girlish features. I hadn't even noticed he was there. "Nice to meet you," he chirped, shaking my hand. Not only were his features girlish, his body language was too. Was he gay...? Wait a second. Why would he be in the host club if he was gay? Well, the host club _is _full of boys, so...why _not_? I shook my head, realizing I was drifting off.

"Likewise," I said, returning his handshake. I might have been completely disgusted by this entire operation, but I still had manners.

"And this is..."

"SAKU-CHAN!" the boy whose body did not match his age, Honey, wailed, glomping Sakura the same way she had glomped me just moments before.

"Saku-chan?" I murmured to myself, completely baffled. I watched as Sakura giggled and twirled in circles, swinging Honey around as if he really _was _a child.

"And this sweet little adorable thing is Honey-senpai," Sakura cooed, returning with him on her back piggy-back style.

"We've already met."

"Nice to met you again!" Honey sang, holding out his child-like hand to me. I rolled my eyes and shook it, thinking _why the hell not. _

Honey giggled again. "You really are pretty. Kau-chan, how'd you manage to catch this one?"

Kaoru bristled. "I didn't! - I mean, she's not - I don't - "

"Anyway," Sakura announced, "On with the introductions!" She always interrupted at the most convenient times. She moved me towards the tall, quiet, muscular boy, Honey's tagalong. "This is Mori-senpai. He doesn't say much."

Almost as if to prove Sakura's point, Mori bowed silently to me. I bowed politely back.

"Moving on, and of course there's the twins," Sakura said, pulling me back to Kaoru so that I had made a full circle. "I guess you've already met Kaoru. Where's Hikaru?"

Kaoru blushed pink. "Don't ask."

Almost as if on cue, the doors burst open, and a scowling Hikaru flew inside. When his eyes landed on me, a mischievous grin spread across his face. "Kaoru you dirty boy."

Kaoru looked horrified.

"You took matters into your own hands! You put your own plan into action," Hikaru continued, "without my permission. Now that's the Kaoru I know."

"Wait a second," I asked, slowly turning to Kaoru, "What plan?"

Hikaru interrupted, stepping between us. "_That_ you'll just have to find out later. Now, Sora, what did you think of our Host Club?"

"I think you're all nuts."

Hikaru feigned offense. "Come on now, it is quite an operation we've got here -"

"I think it's time we get back to our tutoring session," Kaoru said. He grabbed my forearm and pulled me across the room, away from Hikaru. Looking over my shoulder, I saw Hikaru laughing and shaking his head. This was all too much.

I wrenched my arm out of Kaoru's grasp. "_What the hell is going on?_" I snapped. This helpless feeling was not normal for me.

Kaoru was startled, and obviously at a loss for words. "Look - Sora, I'm sorry - "

"Don't apologize. I would just like to know why I've been taken captive by a whole bunch of lunatics!"

"We're really not lunatics, I promise," Kaoru pleaded. "And we haven't taken you captive."

I sighed, telling myself to calm down. "Alright. Then please tell me what's going on."

"I can't."

I threw my arms up in exasperation. I was about to turn towards the door when Kaoru added,

"You're just going to have to trust me."

"Why should I trust you? I barely know you."

He appeared to be deep in thought, then he brightened, and said, "I tell you something I wouldn't want anyone else to know. That way you'll have to trust me."

I didn't quite understand his logic, but hesitantly, I went with it anyway. "Alright...spill."

He took a deep breath. "I used to get nightmares so bad that I would crawl into Hikaru's bed and sleep with him...every night."

I smirked, and shrugged. "That's not so bad. I'm pretty sure that happens to every kid."

"Oh...I wasn't a kid."

"Hm?"

"I'm talking about last year."

I couldn't help it. I burst out laughing.

"It's not that funny!" Kaoru hissed, his eyes darting nervously back and forth.

"Well, it certainly seems like you two are close," I offered. He looked indifferent.

"We were." He took no time in changing the subject. "Can we please start the lesson now?"

"Huh, someone's eager to learn," I complied, sitting down at an empty table and pulling out the Language Arts textbook out of my bag. "What to start with?" I murmured to myself, and flipped open to a random page.

"Romeo and Juliet?" Kaoru read aloud, peering across the page table at the upside down words.

"Maybe something less difficult," I said, starting to turn the page.

"No." He slammed his hand down on the book to keep me from changing the page. "Let's do it."

"Are you sure?" I arched one skeptical eyebrow at him. "It will take a few sessions to cover..."

"Positive."

* * *

**Bada-bing, bada-boom, I reveal to you, the character introduction chapter! That should be pretty much all the characters involved in the story altogether...well, except for a few you have yet to meet.(; But shh, we'll save that for later.**


	6. Chapter Five: Sora

**Sora.**

Sakura skipped down the hallway ahead of me, jumping on the linoleum tiles that were kitty cornered from each other. Being this late in the day, the hallways were pretty empty and the hazy late afternoon sunlight shone weakly through the windows, casting shadows across the hallway. Sakura's foot slipped, and she gasped, almost losing her balance. Catching herself at the last second, she giggled and turned to me. "Sora-chaaan, why didn't you tell me you were interested in the Host Club?"

"Don't be ridiculous, Sakura," I snapped, in no hurry to keep up with her at all. I tightened my grip on my bag's handle. I had never felt more foolish than I did at that moment.

"Then why were you there?" she persisted innocently, blinking her large wide blue eyes at me.

"Extra credit."

"You get extra credit for your tutoring? Why do you even need extra credit, *Onee-chan? You are the smartest girl I ever met."

Even though we weren't blood related even the slightest bit, Sakura called me Onee-chan for some reason. I didn't mind it, we were practically like sisters anyway. And it was nice to know she looked up at me.

Flustered, I shook off her compliment. "Everyone needs extra credit, Sakura. What if I fail exams this year?"

"Don't be such a worrywart," she shoved me playfully, suddenly acting as though her maturity level actually matched her age. "You of all people are not going to fail exams. No way, no how."

I let a small smile grace my lips. "Thanks, but...I don't know. Things are a little stressful at home right now."

She turned to me, her big blue eyes shining with excitement. "Sleepover at my house!"

Taken aback by her invitation, I shook my head feverishly. I had only been to Sakura's mansion a few times, despite us being so close. Her parents were almost never there. "No, no, no, I wouldn't even dream of - "

"It's Friday though!" she persisted, tugging on the sleeve of my hideous yellow dress. "Come onnn, Sora." Changing her technique, she gave me puppy dog eyes instead.

I chuckled, giving in. "Not the puppy eyes," I cried, in mock agony. I shielded my eyes with my hands and Sakura giggled.

"So? What's the plan?" she inquired, shaking me by the shoulders.

I peeked out from between two fingers at her. "Let's go then, *Imouto."

Startled that I had just turned the tables and called her sister for once, she stood frozen in that spot as I walked on ahead. Curious as to why she wasn't skipping on ahead of me, I turned towards her. "What are you waiting for? Off to your place!"

The wind whooshed by me, blowing my hair in my face as she giggled and ran by me, calling over her shoulder, "Off to my place!"

I pushed my black bangs out of my eyes and optimistically jogged after her.

oOoOo

Despite being rich and having the privilege of a personal chauffer, Sora insisted on always driving herself around.

This preference of hers absolutely baffled me. I myself couldn't stand driving and was convinced that I was going to kill someone everytime I was behind the wheel. Which - I made sure for everyone in Japan's sake - wasn't often. Is that strange considering I'm the daughter of the head of the most prestigious automotive company in the world? Nevertheless, I wasn't completely comfortable with Sakura driving either, even though she did so much of it. Maybe there's just something about teen drivers that makes me paranoid.

"Sakura?" I asked, unbuckling my seatbelt and reaching for the door handle, as soon as we had pulled up in Sakura's glorious driveway. "Can I ask you something?"

"Well, technically, by asking that, you already are asking me something." She smirked and grabbed her bag before stepping out of the drivers side of her sleek black Ferrari. She made sure to lock it after I had shut the passenger's side door. My parents were disapproving of her because she purchased foreign automobiles, typically, and I couldn't understand why they would judge someone for that. Though, my parents kind of judged everyone for everything. "I wish I could have gotten a red one," she murmured loftily, more to herself than me. "But it wouldn't match my bag." As she sighed and turned towards the front door, I glanced at her handbag. Surely, it was bright pink, a pink that definitely would not have matched a bloodred Ferrari. Either way, it didn't really matter to me. Believe it or not, cars weren't exactly my"_forte_."

"What was it you wanted to ask again?" Sakura scrunched up her nose at the puzzling change in subject, unlocking her front door using the keyring that was filled with useless knick-knacks and keychains I was sure served no purpose whatsoever. When she finally managed to open the door we stepped inside and immediately took off our shoes, leaving them by the door.

"Oh, I...forgot."

"Are you sure?"

I nodded, dropping the subject. I glanced around to observe that nothing much had changed from my last visit a couple months ago. The foyer was large, empty, and squeaky clean. It was almost as if it were a hollow room. Our footsteps echoed and bounced off the high ceilings and wide walls. There was a sparkly, beautiful chandelier hanging from the ceiling that seemed to be thousands of feet above us, reaching into the heavens, and a large spiral stairway off to the left that led to the second and third floors. To the right was the entrance into the dining hall, which was equally large and grand. The dining table was long enough to reach across the entire room, with dozens of chairs scattered along it. I never understood why they needed that many chairs when most of the time there was only one person dining there. The far wall of the dining room was all one sparkling, crystal window, giving a perfect view of the elaborate garden below. The Suzuki mansion was actually more of an estate, with dozens of cottages spread out along the hundreds of acres the family owned. This was the main building of the estate, where Sakura and her parents actually lived, along with a few housemaids. Of course, most of the time it was just Sakura and the maids.

Now I could see why Sakura was so desperate for me to spend time with her. She really didn't want to spend another night alone. I wasn't sure what Sakura's parents did for a living or why they were always gone, but I already knew I hated them for it.

"Want some pizza?" Sakura chirped, dancing into the dining hall and dumping her handbag on the table.

"Sure, what toppings do you like on it? I'll call." I went to pull my phone out of my bag, but I stopped short when I heard Sakura's tinkling laugh from somewhere in the kitchen (which was behind a door to the right to the dining hall).

"Don't be silly, Sora-kun! We'll make it!"

My bag slid off my shoulder onto the floor. "Make...the toppings."

"No! Make the pizza!" She scampered out of the kitchen door and grabbed me swiftly by the wrist, dragging me behind the kitchen door with her.

"I've never made pizza before," I remarked, coming out muffled from behind the layers of bowls, pans, spoons, and other various cooking utensils piled in my arms. I was feeling quite helpless, and Sakura kept squirreling about, grabbing this ingredient and that ingredient, acting as if she were checking things off on a mental list. She scooped up some things into her arms and scuttled past me, towards a sink and oven in the corner I hadn't seen yet.

"It's always a good time to learn," she said breathlessly, finally responding to my earlier statement. She began seizing random articles from the pile in my hands and laying them upon the blue counter. When my hands were finally empty, I went to put them in my pockets, but then I remembered I was still wearing my school uniform.

"Are you sure we should be cooking in these?" I asked, fingering the frilly lace of my dress. Sakura gasped and dropped her bowl with a clatter.

"Oh my gosh, I almost forgot!" She dashed past me and out of the kitchen, and I slowly followed after her. She traipsed up the spiral stairway and onto the second floor, and into her room. The walls were a bleach white color to match her hair, and her bedpost, bedspread, and canvas were a very light shade of pink. The walls were covered in various posters of characters from Shoujo manga and anime. There was a very decorative white dresser and a large vanity and mirror, wherein the desk was covered in various eccentric knick-knacks and toys. She kind of collected those things. There was a large beautiful lamp in one corner, and in the other was her huge state-of-the art computer. On the wall opposite her bed was also a huge flat-screen TV.

She waltzed towards her vanity and dresser and started pulling things out, tossing them behind me onto her floor. "The maids will take care of it," she said dismissively She handed a pair of sweats and a lacy tanktop in my direction. I quickly threw them on, taking note that most of Sakura's clothing tended to be a bit on the...eccentric side. Though, it matched her personality quite well.

"Now, time to make those pizzas!" Sakura announced, dressed in something similar to my new outfit. She pumped her fist in the air and disappeared out of the room, back down the spiral stairway.

"Pizzas?" I called after her dubiously. "Are you sure you want to make that plural? I don't know if we can eat more than one."

"Maybe you're right," she called in reply, though more to herself than to me. On her way back to the kitchen she grabbed her phone out of her handbag, and taking note of this I did the same. When we returned to the kitchen and Sakura resumed fiddling about preparing the ingredients, I checked my cell phone.

One missed call from mom. She had also left me a voicemail. I deleted the notification, telling myself I would listen to it later. Although, I instantly felt guilty about it afterwards.

After my twin tutoring sessions with the twins, and my introductions with this infamous Host Club, I had a lot of questions for Sakura, about everything. Although, if I asked her right away I risked sounding too interested, and Lord knows we don't want that happening. So I saved it, zipping my lips about anything pertaining to boys for the rest of the evening. I even pitched in with making the pizza, although I can't say I didn't mess anything up. Overall, it was an eye-opening and enjoyable experience.

"You cook for yourself a lot?" I asked, busying myself with loading the dishwasher as the pizza cooked. Sakura wiped down the counter.

"Yeah, often."

I nodded, pausing. "Why not have the cook do it?"

She stopped and looked at me, grinning innocently. "Well, that would be no fun."

I had to admit, that comment got me thinking. I finished with the dishes and straightened up, swiping my arm across my sweaty forehead. Unbelievably, making a meal was a lot of work for two spoiled rich girls. "What now?" I asked, catching my breath.

Sakura turned towards me, tossing her wet rag in the sink. "Let's watch a movie," she chirped. She skipped past me, and I wilted, wondering where in the world she got all her energy from. A moment later she came dancing back, announcing in a sing-song voice, "I'll make the popcorn~!"

I nearly died.

* * *

***Onee-chan: big sister. *Imouto: little sister. :3**

**In this chapter you learn a little more about Sora and a lot more about Sakura, which is strange considering Sora is actually a bigger character than Sakura (sorry danielle :P). I actually want to hold off on Sora's personal life for now, so you guys can figure it out along with Kaoru, our main character. Also, a lot of reviewers were desperately inquiring about Sakura and who the hell she was, and I thought this might clear it up for you peepz. lolol. Don't get me wrong though, Sakura still plays a HUGE part in the plot...mwahahaha.(;**

**Sorry for no hosts in this chapter, it was more of a filler/informational than anything! I just had to get that out of the way. Next chapter there should be the boys. :D Thank you for your kindness and patience! I promise this story is finally starting to go somewhere.**


	7. Chapter Six: Kaoru

**Kaoru.**

Unfortunately, I couldn't leave the school until Hikaru's tutoring session was over, considering my ride was his ride. I didn't completely trust him with Sora, even though he thought I was putting my own plan into action I couldn't be certain he wouldn't try to pull a little something on the side. Soon enough I found myself pacing back and forth in front of the windows, without even being conscious of what I was doing.

"What's going on here, Kaoru?"

I jumped, almost startled, at the sound of Kyoya-senpai's voice behind me. I turned quickly, meeting his gaze from behind his glasses. His expression, as usual, was masked.

"I really don't know," I admitted. "Hikaru's just being his troublesome self and everything is getting out of hand - "

"Hikaru's not doing anything wrong, actually. I kept an eye on him for the first few minutes and he was honestly trying to learn." Kyoya narrowed his eyes at me from behind his glasses, obviously taking note of my startled reaction. "You doubt your brother too much."

I said nothing in return, staring out the window at the rose garden below.

"Is there some reason you brought the girl here?"

"Oh, yes." I would rather Hikaru have done this part, it was more his area of expertise, and it was his idea anyway. "Sit," I said, gesturing to one of the wood chairs. "I have a pitch for you."

Kyoya sat as I had advised him to, and I could tell he liked the sound of a "pitch." He folded his hands and rested his chin upon them, staring me down as I sat as well. "Is this a business pitch, by any chance?"

"Yes, it is."

"Well, I'm ready when you are."

I took a deep breath. "One word. Hostesses."

Kyoya's glasses glinted. "We've considered this route before, Kaoru."

"I know - wait, you have?"

"Yes, we have." Kyoya nodded, pushing his glasses up his nose. He opened his laptop; I assumed he was pulling up his data on it or something.

"I did extensive research on the topic shortly after the Host Club was formed. To keep this explanation short, I'll put it this way. Overall, it costs more to have hostesses in the club than they bring in."

I cursed inwardly. What was I supposed to do now?

That was when Hikaru came to the "rescue."

Apparently, his tutoring session had just ended, and he had just happened to overhear how badly I was failing at pitching his well-thought elaborate scheme. He swooped in on Kyoya's other side, an arm slung over his shoulder.

"But, if we could get one of the hottest, most popular girls in our school to join the bandwagon," Hikaru discreetly jerked his thumb over his shoulder in Sakura's direction, who was obliviously chowing down on cake with Honey. "Then, the customers would come pouring in. There'd be so many new male customers that we'd at least have to have one more hostess to keep all the idiots satisfied. Someone like Sora Kimura, the popular girl's best friend, perhaps?" In a similar fashion, he jerked his thumb over to where Sora stood, packing up her things in her bag. She looked like she was getting ready to leave for the day.

My cheeks flushed at the mention of Sora. Hikaru was one gutsy guy.

"Plus," Hikaru went on, just when I thought he was done, "We wouldn't want competition from any parallel hostess clubs, would we? Think about it. Soon enough, the girls will begin to get minds of their own, and come up with the crazy idea of starting their own clubs. Then we would have no customers at all."

Though he didn't show it, I could tell this alarmed Kyoya-senpai. He narrowed his eyes at Hikaru. "So you're proposing we start with the two most popular girls at Ouran, to test the waters?"

Hikaru nodded, grinning almost innocently.

Kyoya looked at Sakura thoughtfully, actually considering it. He began typing briskly on his laptop. About 30 seconds later, he looked up, almost looking pleased. Well, as pleased as Kyoya could possibly look.

"If you can convince them to be hostesses, then I suppose...we could allow them to join the Host Club."

I was awed. I didn't think it'd be that easy.

"I'll talk to Tamaki about it," Kyoya continued, "But it should be an easy sell. If you can get the girls to agree then have them start on Monday." He nodded to the both of us expectantly.

"Piece of cake!" Hikaru cried enthusiastically, clapping Kyoya hard on the back. As expressionless as ever, Kyoya's glasses glinted.

"Good luck with that." He closed his laptop, stood up, bowed to us, then turned and left.

Hikaru turned to me, grinning from ear to ear. I, on the other hand, wasn't so confident. "How are we gonna...uh..." I trailed off, rubbing my right arm with my left hand awkwardly.

"Leave it to me, Kao. I can handle it."

He shot me a peace sign, then waltzed off to flirt with Sakura. I watched them for a moment, and their casual back-and-forth, then perked up when I saw Sora approaching. Sora said something quick and obviously sarcastic, and Sakura stood up instantly, nearly knocking the table over and flinging cake everywhere. Sakura was blushing, but Hikaru was smooth and charming, and she soon recovered, all giggles and grins. After a few more words, Sakura and Sora departed, Sakura skipping on ahead holding her bag in front of her with both hands. Sora was calling after her to slow down, but Sakura didn't obey, giggling some more.

I jumped when I felt a hand on my shoulder. "Spying is naughty, Kaoru," Hikaru sang in my ear. I turned to shoot him a glare dangerous enough to curdle dairy. "I'm just saying! You'll get caught spying one day and everyone will call you a pervert like ol' Tamaki over there." He gestured with his head to the direction Tamaki was in, dancing about the girl customers as if he were dancing through meadows of flowers. Hikaru and I chuckled to ourselves, and Hikaru continued.

"Well, she agreed to it."

"What?" I looked at him, dumbfounded. The usual smug expression of his was plasted across his face, of course.

"Sakura agreed to it, being a hostess. Like I said; piece of cake." He smirked at himself for his witty irony.

"She did? How did you..."

"Ah, ah, ah," Hikaru's finger swayed back and forth in front of my eyes. "A master does not reveal his secrets."

"What about Sora? Did she agree?"

Hikaru withdrew from me, taking a bored stance and acting as if he were inspecting his fingernails. "No, but Sakura assured me she was handling it."

I sighed. "Hikaru, how many people are you - "

He waved his hand aloofly, interrupting me with a loud, sudden chuckle. "Kaoru, Kaoru! Sakura is the man for the job. Er, well, woman. Think about it, they're best friends. If anyone can convince Sora, it's Sakura."

This statement seemed to have enough truth in it to be legit. "I suppose you're right," I admitted, and Hikaru grinned in responce.

"Of course I'm right!" He cheerily linked my arm through his and pulled me to my feet. "You need to learn to trust me."

He and Kyoya had both told me this in the past hour, and I was beginning to think maybe they were in cahoots. But then again, this kind of justified their opinions of how I needed to trust Hikaru. Kyoya...not so much. I doubt anyone trusts him. Other than Tamaki, that is. But Tamaki trusts everyone.

Speak of the devil, I looked up and there was Tamaki. "There are my two favorite twins in the whole wide world," he gushed, grabbing us and suffocating us.

"What's going on, boss?" Hikaru demanded, breaking away from Tamaki's tight grasp.

"Yeah, we're never your favorite anything," I agreed, doing the same.

"Ah, ah, ah!" The happiness was practically pouring out of Tamaki, if you looked close enough you could see his eyes glittering. "Don't be so modest, boys." He slung an arm around each of our shoulders, walking us towards the double doors. "Kyoya informed me of your brilliant plan. You did a great job with your soldier cosplay today, as well. I couldn't be more proud of you two, you have definitely come full circle!"

Hikaru shot me a puzzled glance, and I shrugged in reply.

Tamaki chuckled to himself. "Hostesses. _Tuh_, imagine that! My little club has come so far." He wiped his eye with one finger, as if he were tearing up. "As a reward for your brilliance, you two may take the rest of the day off." He removed his arms from around our shoulders and looked at us expectantly.

"But, boss," Hikaru objected, "It's already closing time anyway - "

"Don't object, Hikaru," Tamaki insisted, oblivious, giving us a gentle shove towards the doors. "Get going, now! Take advantage of your day off, it won't come often after our customer income doubles!"

Hikaru led the way out, grumbling to himself, as I pulled the doors shut behind me. It was eerily quiet in the rest of the school, and I assumed that Sakura and Sora had left already. I hoped that Sakura would be alright to trust with recruiting Sora. I didn't know much about the girl - or either of them, in fact. I wondered what they were doing right then.

"You worry too much, brother," Hikaru said, as if he could read my mind. He waved me off aloofly. "Everything's gonna go great. It always does."

"Are you sure about that?"

Hikaru linked his arm through mine and wrenched me down the hallway. "Well, I guess we'll find out on Monday." He looked over his shoulder to smile at me. "Let's go home."

* * *

**Kind of a short chapter, but I felt like that was the best place to stop. It was even shorter to begin with and I pretty much added all that was humanly possible, and stuffed it full...is it just me or does that sound sexual?** **I'll stop before I need to change the rating, LAWLZ. Anywho.**

**Part of this chapter was written by my lovely assistant/cousin, mynameisella! As a fellow OHSHC fan (thank me for that guys, I got her hooked ;P) she also writes a lot of fics for Naruto so if you're into that, go check her out :D**

**YEP, promotion over. So just lettin you guys know, next chapter should be...interesting.(;**

**WAIT. I'm being told there is another promotion. My...tumblr? Ah, seems so. GO TO TUMBLR AND SEARCH "hugs-n-symmetry". DO IT. NOW. Oh and follow me. Please. And thank you. LOVE YOU MWAH. :D**


	8. Chapter Seven: Sora

**Sora.**

Sakura and I giggled at the scene on her TV screen while sitting on the fuzzy carpet in her bedroom, taking turns shooting popcorn into each others' mouths. Pizza crusts were scattered across the large plate sitting in front of us; the pizza had been remarkably delicious, and we ate every slice. It must have been more satisfying to know that it was something we put our own sweat and blood into. Well, not literally.

"He is so ridiculous," Sakura gasped, between fits of laughter. "He reminds me so much of Tamaki!"

"I know!" I agreed, choking for air. "They could almost be related~!"

The two of us burst into another giggling fit, but our amusement was short lived. We were cut off by a loud, deliberate cough coming from directly behind us. We stopped short and looked wide-eyed up at one of the household maids, looking very unhappy with her arms crossed and eyes narrowed at us. My glance flitted down to where popcorn kernels and pizza crumbs littered the floor, and I chuckled nervously.

Sakura sighed, standing up and traipsing out of the room. "C'mon, Sora-chan," she called over her shoulder at me. I quickly stood up, nodded once to the ornery maid, and hurried after Sakura into the dining room.

"What would you like to drink?" Sakura stood in front of the fridge, holding the cold door open with one hand, the other absentmindedly scratching her head, buried beneath her lace-white hair. She looked very lazy and careless. I almost laughed out loud. "I have cola, tea, water..."

"Cola's fine, thank you." I took a seat at the never-ending dining table and Sakura joined me a moment later, a soda in each hand. She slid mine across the table towards me, and I cracked it open brisquely, listening to the sizzling carbonation and hesitantly taking a first sip. I swiped my arm across my face to get rid of my soda-stache. "It's getting pretty late," I remarked nonchalantly, staring out the window to the garden.

"Well it's a sleepover, silly," Sora chirped. Her happiness was empty, however, I could tell there was something hidden beneath it. She probably missed her parents. I was tempted to ask where they were, but I didn't have the guts. So I kept my mouth shut.

"What do we do now?" I asked somberly, my question coming out a bit muffled by my hand that was propping up my face upon the table. Sakura appeared as though she were considering the options. A wide grin spread across her face and she leapt up, leaning across the table and grasping my arm. I had been just about to take another sip when she yanked me up and pulled me around the table, and I looked like an idiot with my lips stuck out because the delicious soda had been torn away from me right before it had touched my lips. I frowned, discomforted.

Sakura however, was ruthless. She pulled me out of the dining room, up the stairway, then down a long hallway, where we finally came to a stop in front of a long, white door. She opened the door and led me inside, cheering, "Dress up time!"

The room was large, and the walls were a creamy off-white color, with light blue trim. And by "trim" I mean the shelves, racks, and hangers that were decorated with layers upon layers of clothes.

So.

Much.

Clothes.

"Uh - what do you mean, dress up time?" I looked at her dubiously, one eyebrow arched in a gesture of skepticism. She merely giggled.

"Don't be such a wet blanket, Onee-chan! Try something on!" She tossed an article of clothing in my direction. I caught it, the velvety fabric already unfolding itself upon meeting my grasp. I held it out in front of me to get a good look. It was a short, blue, strapless dress with golden sparkles scattered across it. It cinched beneath the chest area and tied with a big blue bow in the back, and the material beneath the cinch was loose and flowy. I stared at the dress for a moment, dumbfounded, before Sakura urged me once more to try it on. Hastily, I did.

"Well?" she persisted, looking at me eagerly.

I turned in a half-circle, getting accustomed to the dress. "Well what?"

"What do you think?"

I ruffled the fabric between my fingers thoughtfully. "I think...I like it."

"Eep!" Sakura squealed with delight and glomped me, tossing her arms around my neck. I struggled to release myself from her death-grip, chuckling nervously. "My turn!" she chirped, disappearing into the folds and shadows of fabric and reappearing again with her own dress. It was light pink with small straps and a black veil-like skirt covering the bottom half. "We look like royalty," she purred, doing a twirl and admiring herself in the mirror.

"We practically are," I joked, smirking.

She giggled. "Not quite! Well, what are you waiting for? That's not the only thing you're trying on, is it? The possibilities are endless, Sora-kun! C'moooon." She tugged my arm, and I chuckled and complied. The next hour and a half was spent dressing up, giggling, and being, well...girls.

At 9:30, we collapsed on Sakura's bed, sweatpant-clad and sipping on milkshakes.

"So," she asked aloofly, lying back and kicking her legs in the air like a child would. "What did you think?"

"It was fun," I offered, not too interested. I was busy texting my mom back.

"Tuh!" She scoffed, turning serious, swinging her legs over the side of the bed and turning to face me. "I mean about the twins."

"The twins?" My face contorted. "Why are you bringing them up?"

She shrugged. "Just curious. What did you think of them?"

I figured this would have come at one point or another. Sakura is always trying to hook me up with random guys. But I could never see myself with anyone she suggested. In fact, I had never really been able to see myself with really anyone at all. Dating came with too many demands. Sakura wanted me to date someone based on how cute they were, my parents wanted me to date based on how powerful the family was or how wealthy they were, and between all of that, I didn't even know what my _type _was. Probably a guy who wasn't completely consumed with stupidity. I had yet to find such a gentleman.

"They're...nice," I started awkwardly.

"Nice?" Sakura giggled. "Sometimes I wonder if you're even a girl. They're adorable!"

I shrugged. "Yeah, I guess."

She went on without missing a beat, ignoring my feedback. "Hikaru's so reckless and badass and hot, but Kaoru's so sweet and good-hearted. Oh, it's so hard to choose between them!" Her face flushed and she swooned, falling backwards on her bed with a light bounce.

"Do you spend a lot of time with them?" I asked, laying back beside her.

"Not until recently," she answered, embarrassed, "I'm a bit of a...host hopper."

"Host hopper? What's that?"

She sighed flamboyantly. "Someone who frequently goes back and forth between hosts, refusing to choose one permanently."

I hesitated, unsure of how to reply. "And that's...you?"

"Yes, Sora-kun, that's me. I started out as a fan of Tamaki, but then I realized how _adorable _Honey-senpai is, and I moved onto him. Then I was a Mori fan for quite a short amount of time, and after that, quite briefly I was a fan of the twins. Currently I'm back to Honey, but I think I might be developing a thing for the twins again." Her face flushed even deeper, and I thought that was strange, since I had hardly ever seen Sakura do such a thing as blush. I sighed thoughtfully. Maybe I gave these twins less credit than they deserved. Kaoru didn't seem _that _bad...and honestly, neither did Hikaru. He was respectful enough during our session. The four of us could maybe even become friends.

"They do seem like interesting guys," I tried optimistically. Sakura shot up instantly, grinning from ear to ear. I sat up as well, curious.

"I knew it!" she screeched, grabbing my cheeks and squeezing them. "I knew you were hiding your secret love of them from me, I just knew it! Why else would you be so keen on tutoring them, and in the Host Club no less! You can hide some things from me, Sora-chan, but not this! So, tell me, which one do you like better?"

"Whoa, whoa, whoa," I said quickly, pushing her away from my face. "Let's not be hasty here, Sakura. I just met them, remember?" I frowned. "I'm just their tutor."

"Would you like to get to know them better?" she pressed curiously.

I nodded hesitantly. "Yes, I suppose - "

"Great! Then, join the host club!"

I stared at her, dumbfounded. "What?"

"Join the host club!" she repeated cheerily.

I shook my head, pulling myself back to earth. "But - the host club is for boys."

She giggled, waving her hand dismissively. "Don't be so close-minded. Hikaru came to me and told me that they wanted to try out some Hostesses, and that me and you were the girls they were choosing!"

I scrunched up my nose at her. "So basically we're the guinea pigs for their new attraction?"

"Yeah, basically!" She grinned innocently at me as if she didn't understand my question. I sighed.

"Sakura, that's not a good thing - "

"Of course it is!" she persisted. "We get to be in the host club! We are going to get soooo much attention from boys, and plus I have you there with me so I get to spend time with my best friend while doing it!" She sighed, staring off into space as if imagining it herself. "It's going to be soooo amazing."

"Are there any _other _perks to it, besides getting attention from boys?"

She stopped, and appeared to be thinking deeply about it. "Umm, well. It makes a lot of money I guess. But I don't think it's money you get back...I think it's used on bettering the host club as a whole."

"Well, good to hear their focus is on unity," I murmured sarcastically.

"Yeah, it's great, isn't it?" Sakura squealed excitedly. As much as I wanted to, I couldn't be annoyed. She was just so innocent. I laughed.

"I don't know, Sakura. Seems like it'd be an awful big waste of time."

"Oh, but it's not!" she gushed. "You learn a lot of important lessons and gain a lot of memories." She sighed dreamily. "Oh, I have been wanting to join the host club for soooo long and now I finally get my chance. This is like a dream come true!" Then she turned to me and added, "Oh, and it would mean soooo much if you could join me in that dream, Sora. Please please pleeaaaaseee - "

"I'll think about it," is all I said. And we left it at that. We watched anime for the rest of the night, giggling, doing our nails, and eating junk food. Sakura didn't mention the host club again, but the possibility kept drifting through my mind, nonetheless. What would being a hostess _really _be like? I couldn't help myself from being curious. Maybe it wouldn't be a waste of time...maybe I would finally feel like I belonged somewhere.

I couldn't sleep that night. I couldn't make up my mind.

* * *

**Hope you guys liked that! I don't have much to say here...so yeah. :P**

**mynameisella - Lol thank you, & you're welcome! Sorry it took so long haha.**

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**BittersweetChocolates09 - Ahahaha, oh yes indeeed xD what else would you expect from Hikaru? lolol. Anywho, thank you for your review!(:**


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